Proxima B is Likely to Have Perfect Conditions to Host Alien Life

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The mission to
discover whether Proxima B has the potential to support life has taken a new
and exciting twist. Researchers have embarked on the first steps to explore the
potential climate of the exoplanet, which has been dubbed 'Earth 2.0.'

Their findings
indicate that the planet has a climate that could be habitable, reinforcing the
idea that it could host alien life. Proxima
B was discovered in August last year orbiting our closest neighbouring star,
Proxima Centauri, which is just 4.2 light years (25 trillion miles) away from
Earth.

Its nickname of
'second Earth' arose due to the fact that it is of similar size to our planet,
and was thought to have an atmosphere like our own. Early studies suggested
that the planet is in the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri - the region
where, given an Earth-like atmosphere and suitable structure, it would receive
the right amount of light to sustain liquid water on its surface.

Now, researchers
from the University of Exeter, have undertaken new research to explore the
potential climate of the planet. Using the Met Office's Unified Model, which
has been used to study the Earth's climate for several decades, the team
simulated the climate of Proxima B if it were to have a similar atmospheric
composition to our own Earth.

The team also
looked at a much simpler atmosphere, made up of nitrogen with small traces of
carbon dioxide, as well as variations of the planets orbit. The results showed
that Proxima B has the potential to be habitable, and could exist in a stable
climate regime.

Dr Ian Boutle,
lead author of the study, said:

“Our research team
looked at a number of different scenarios for the planet's likely orbital
configuration using a set of simulations. As well as examining how the climate
would behave if the planet was "tidally-locked" (where one day is the
same length as one year), we also looked at how an orbit similar to Mercury,
which rotates three times on its axis for every two orbits around the sun (a
3:2 resonance), would affect the environment.”

Dr James Manners,
another author on the study, added:

“One of the main
features that distinguishes this planet from Earth is that the light from its
star is mostly in the near infra-red. These frequencies of light interact much
more strongly with water vapour and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which
affects the climate that emerges in our model.”

Using the Unified
Model, the researchers found that both the tidally-locked and 3:2 resonance
configurations result in regions of the planet able to host liquid water. But
the 3:2 resonance example resulted in more substantial areas of the planet
falling within this temperature range. They also found that a circular orbit
could lead to a further increase in the 'habitability' of this world.

Dr Nathan Mayne,
an author of the study, added:

“With the project
we have at Exeter we are trying to not only understand the somewhat bewildering
diversity of exoplanets being discovered, but also exploit this to hopefully
improve our understanding of how our own climate has and will evolve.